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First sign of the equinox

Last year, on October 2, on a very early visit to the monument, I found to my great surprise that the beam of sunlight still crossed the entire inside of the monument, 11 days after the date of the equinox.
In effort to establish the duration of the alignment, when does the first beam of light reaches through the gate and when does it retreat, I indented to start this spring at the beginning of March but heavy winds, hail and showers, morning after morning, did not allow for such an observation.
Today, March 13, saw the first usable sunrise with unclouded blue skies although the view was fairly hazy. At my arrival around quarter past seven the beam had already reached its furthest extent, touching the wall just below the lower platform on the opposite side of the monument. About an hour later the light had withdrawn to the inner corner of the gate.

7.17 am on a very frosty morning.

Looking north at 7.18 am.

Beam and wall reflection at 7.24 am.

The sun’s refection in a puddle outside the gate at 7.33 am.

7.36 am

Towards Inishowen at 7.42 am.

Towards the entrance of the southern passage at 7.51 am.

8.04 am

During last year much digging and trenching was undertaken by the farmer, owning the fields below to the west and a road is now in place leading half way up Cornamount Hill, which may be a possible location for seeing the sun rising from behind the Grianán at the time around the equinox. Weather permitting I intend to test this theory as soon as possible.